Method and apparatus for punching tie plates



Oct. 26, 1943. M. L. CANTRELL ET AL 2,332,499

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING TIE PLATES Filed Sept. 16, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVNT ATToRNEYs ii ggm? Oct. 26, 1943. M, L. CANTRELL ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PUNCHING TIE PLATES Filed Sept. 16; 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M TORS Patented Oct. 26, 1943 PARATUS FGRPI-ENCEING TIE PLATES i Co lor'aido "owes-mes 210 :a Q 1S., .9, The l a u and ai e'm'fiem nenver, 0610., a aurpami'on or mbpnaiian'september 16, 1939, serm1*No. 2 95204 *v'fola'ifiis. (01.29 16) 'eijoining tl r'z-fspik e mziy also -beraisedi above the top sln fac'e of 'the plateto "provide-for the'spike additional bearing a lre'as' extend-mg lengthwiseof "Another featur'eof theinve'ntion'residesiin the "provision "of a nowjelmethod of munching tie- =1'alates by jtne pract'i'ce of "which th'eplate opening a single punohing operation but without displac in'g nietal *froYn the' bo'ttor'n of"th*e p1ate-1inder fnhe buttress, Thiis; in a, p1a,te nrade by the new method' th'e spike bzgekingext'ends from the bottombf 'the plate to the tophftheirojecting but- According to our new methbd, 'a sh'ig of metal is fi'rstfpunched from the plate' to 'form an o'pe'nfing somewhat-smaller "than tlie desired opening "in 1 the fl nish'd plate, the s1ug "being preferably "p'laod'meteil "1s forced toward the: top "of the "shoufqer'onime f 1inch "whijc'h "is inclined so as -t'o prodllee "an outward component "of force on es 2 "An undercutzorindnt for reoeix l ing pait -offine rail look-is preferably formed-in the same: punch 'i'hg oberation 'byranother shoulder-properly p 51 top'of'fhe plateforthelock. n I

*Fo'r a better understanding of the invention, fefe'fenee'may'be had tothe-following detailed (description takeninconjuncbiomwibh the accomeihoulderiacts simulnaneougiy io en'ia'fge tfie ti'o'ne'd onthepunc-h. "'I'hemetaldisplaced:in the "indenting operation maybe directedinto' anappropriaterecess in-theflie'to form-*a seat-on7the Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a. I

modified form of the die;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the die shown in Fig.. 9, with the tie-plate removed;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on the line II-II in Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of part of a tie-platepunched with the apparatus' shown in Fig. 9, and

Fig. 13 is a sectional view on the line.I 3-I3 in Fig. 12.

'The apparatus, as illustrated, comprises ajdie: IIlhaving an opening II of approximately the size and shape of the desired opening in the tieplate and which. leads into an enlargement I2 in the bottom of'the die. The top of the dieon one side of the opening is formed with a: recess I3, preferably extending across the face of the die and having a flat bottom I4 leading into the opening II, and an inclined wall I5 leading outwardly from the bottom. At the opposite side of the die opening is another re-- cess I6, preferably extending across the face of the die parallel to the recess I3 and having a flat bottom H sloping slightly downwardly from. the opening II to a substantially vertical sidewall I8. The die Il] may be mounted in a holder- I8 forming with the die a seat for a tie-plate which is inverted on the seatso that the rail. abutment shoulder 2| lies flat against the verti-- cal wall I8 and partly fills the recess I6.

Above the die is a punch 23 mounted in a suitable power driven holder 24 operable to force- ,the punch through the tie-plate. The punch, as shown, is provided with an initial, plate engaging end 25 adapted to fit into the die opening H but which is somewhat smaller than the die opening. More particularly, the lower end 25- of the punch overlies all of the die opening II except a part of the opening adjacent the recess I3, this part of the opening being oil'set laterally from the punch end 25. Above its lower end, the punch is provided on one side with a downwardly facing shoulder 26 which is preferably inclined outwardly. This shoulder overlies the part of the die opening II adjacent the recess I3, and the outer edge of the shoulder is directly above the edge of the die opening Il adjacent this recess, so that the end 25 of the punch and the shoulder 26 are adapted to fit closely in the die opening. Above the shoulder 26 but on the opposite side of the punch is a second shoulder 21 overlying the recess I6.

In the practice of the new method with the apparatus shown, a slug of metal 30 is first punched from the plate, preferably while the latter is at a forging temperature, by forcing the end 25 of the punch into the plate over the die opening II. The slug 30 thus removed is considerably smaller than the die opening II and falls through this opening and the enlargement I2; The opening in the tie-plate is then enlarged by the action of the shoulder 26, and the metal removed incident to the enlarging opera- Figs. 3 and 4. That is, when the shoulder. 26

-- tion is directed into the recess I3, as shown in engages the bottom of the tie-plate, it displaces the metal directly beneath it and forces the metal downwardly and outwardly from the opening into the recess I3, this action being accentuated by the inclination of the shoulder 26 which produces a lateral component of force on the metal displaced from beneath it. The recess I3 is thus lcompletely filled with metal removed from the plate opening, and the latter is enlarged from the bottom of the plate to the top. When the recess I3 is filled, any excess metal beneath the shoulder 26 is sheared off in a second slug 3| by the outer edge of the shoulder 26.

During the downward movement of the punch, the second shoulder 21 engages the tie-plate over the recess I6 and indents the plate bottom, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The metal displaced by this second shoulder is forced downwardly into the recess I6 so as to completely fill the latter and provide a built-up portion on the top of the plate adjacent the shoulder 2|. It will be observed that before the indenting operation commences, the lower end 25 of the punch passes below the bottom of the recess I6, so that metal displaced by the shoulder 21 can pass only into unoccupied space in the recess I6 and cannot pass inwardly into the opening I I.

The new method may be performed rapidly to provide in a single punching operation an undercut opening 32 in the tie-plate and a pair of opposed buttresses 33 and 34 on opposite sides of the plate opening. Also, the method may be performed with an apparatus of simple form wherein the shoulder 26 on the punch performs the dual function of enlarging the plate opening from the bottom of the plate to the top thereof and at the same time directing the metal removed for this purpose downwardly and outwardly into the recess I3 to provide the buttress 34. The second shoulder 21 on the punch may be arranged to engage the plate bottom either before the recess I3 is completely filled or after the second slug 3| is sheared, but we prefer to engage the shoulder 21 with the plate bottom some time before the recess I3 is filled, so that the two buttresses 33 and 34 are formed substantially simultaneously and the two shoulders on the punch exert counterbalancing forces on the plate. In a tie-plate made in accordance with the new method, the plate bottom adjacent the undercut opening is not indented, and, accordingly, a spike in the plate opening is braced outwardly thereof from the bottom of the plate to the top of the buttress 34. While the die and punch, as shown, are formed to provide a T- shaped opening in the plate, it will be apparent that they may be formed to punch an opening of any other desired shape.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 9 is similar to that shown in Fig. 1, except that the die I0 is formed with recesses 36 communicating with the recess I3 and extending at right angles thereto along the stem of the T-shaped opening II. The recesses 36, as shown, are provided with sloping side walls and have flat bottoms 31 leading into the opening II at the same level as the bottom I4 of the main recess I 3. The plate 20 is placed on the die bottom side up and the punch 23 forced through the plate, preferably while the latter is at a forging temperature. The lower end 25 of the punch removes a slug of metal over the die opening II, and when the shoulder 26 of the punch moves into the plate so as to enlarge the opening, metal is displaced into the recess I3, as described in connection with the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. At the same time, additional metal is displaced into the side recesses 36, so that when the punch has moved to the lower limit of its travel, the recesses I3 and 36 are filled with metal displaced by the punch. If desired,' the punch may be provided with additional shoulders similar to the shoulder 26 but facing therecesses 36, so as to sup-. plement the action of shoulder 26 in pose outwardly and downwardly into the die to I form a buttress on the top of the plate, and

shearing off the excess metal removed from the enlarged opening afterthe recess is filled.

displacing metal into these side recesses AIsoTthe volume iii of recess l3 and the effective area of shoulder 23 may be proportioned so that the amount of metal displaced by this shoulder is suflicient to fill the recesses I 3 and 36.

When the punching is, completed, themetal filling the recesse 36 forms raised buttresses 38 integral with the buttress 34 and extending along the opposite sides of thestem of opening 32in the plate. These buttresses 38 increase the area of contact between opp site sides of the spike and the tie-plate so as to reduce wear of the.

parts, and they also act to guide the spike as it is 1 driven through the plate opening 32 into the tie. In addition, the buttresses 38 form with buttress 34 a U-shaped raised portion on the plate for engaging the spike on three sides, and the buttresses 38 act to {strengthen theb uttres s 34.

We claim: 7 1. In the manufacture of tie-plates having an opening therein, the. method which comprises punching a slug of metal from the plate to form an opening smaller than the final opening, en-

larging the opening from the bottom of the plate.

to the top thereof and directing the metal removed for this purpose to the top of the plate at g the outer edge of the enlarged opening, and indenting the plate bottom at the opposite edge of the opening. l

2. In the manufacture of tie-plates having-,an opening therein, the method which comprises punching a slug of metal fromthe plate to form an. opening smaller than the final opening, en-

larging the opening from the bottom of the plate to the top'thereof and directing the metal re movedfor this purpose to the top of the plate opening in" 4. In the manufacture of tie-plates with the use of a die, the method'which the plate resting ,on the die, punching a slug of metal from the plate into the die to form an opening in the plate, enlarging theplate opening from the bottom of the plate to the top thereof and directing the metal removed for this purpose outwardly and. downwardly intothe die 7 to form'a buttress on the top of the plate, and

indenting the plate bottom at the edge of the plate opening opposite said buttress during the formation of the buttress.

V 5. In the manufacture of tie-plates with the use of a die, the method which comprises placinga tie-plate on the die with the top surface of the plate resting on the die, punching a slug .form ase'cond buttress on the plate opposite said first buttress. I

'6, In the manufacture of tie-plates, the method 'which comprises punching a slug of metal from the plate to form an opening therein, displacing metal adjacent the outer edge of the opening to raise above the top surface of the all) plate a buttress for a tie-penetrating member in the opening, and indenting the plate bottom adjacent the opposite edge of the opening and directingthe displaced'metal toward the top of the plate to form a built-up portion on the plate at said opposite edge of the opening.

at the outer edge of the enlarged opening, and

indenting the plate bottom at the opposite edge of the opening and directing the displaced metal toward the top of the'plate to form a built-up opposite edge of the portion on the plate at said opening.

3. In the manufacture V use of a die, the method which comprises placer tie-plates with the 1 ing a tie-plate on the die with the top surface of the plate resting on the die, punchinga sliig of metal from the plate into the die to form an opening in the plate, enlargingthe plate opening from the bottom of the plate to the top thereof and directing the metal removed for this pur- 7. In the manufacture of tie plates having an opening therein, the method which comprises punching a slug of metal from the plate to form an opening smaller than the final opening de pressing thegplate'bottom adjacent one edge of the opening "and directing the displaced metal outwardly'from .the opening from the bottom of the plate toward the top thereof, positively arresting the movement of the displaced metal toward the top of the plate, thereby forming a buttress on the plate and simultaneously enlarging the opening from the bottom of the plate to the top thereof and shearing off the excess metal in said openingafter said movement is arrested.

MARVIN L. CANTRELL. OSCAR- A. HED.

comprises placing a tie-plate on the die with the top surface of 

